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schetst 30.4K Views

Sep 11, 2026 7:26 PM

Walmart in Store $40+Tax Cricket Wireless moto g power 2026 128GB, 8GB RAM (Prepaid), PANTONE Evening Blue

$40

$99

59% off

Walmart

Get Deal at Walmart

Walmart has the Cricket Wireless moto g power 2026 128GB, 8GB RAM (Prepaid), PANTONE Evening Blue free with instore activation of $40 cricket plan or higher.

Details

Sharp, durable 6.8" 120Hz FHD+ display. Enjoy stunning views with twice the detail of HD+ and 2x better drop and scratch protection thanks to Corning® Gorilla® Glass 7i. IP68 and IP69 rated protection. MIL-STD-810H certified meeting tough military standards for durability.

TurboPower™ charging and 42-hour (Target) battery. Get hours of power in just minutes of charging, and nearly two full days of battery life.

Capture sharper low-light photos and smoother videos with a 50MP ai-powered camera system featuring Optical Image Stabilization

5G speeds and fast multitasking with RAM Boost. Experience unimaginably fast 5G speeds, a faster MediaTek processor, and up to 24GB of RAM

https://www.walmart.com/ip/183243...5C0B3F176A

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Sold by	Sale Price
Walmart	$99

Community Reviews

This Moto G Power 2026 is drawing attention as a low cost prepaid phone with 128GB storage and 8GB RAM, and the strongest upside is that some units can be used as a surprisingly capable backup or Wi Fi device. A few setups also show carrier unlocked in settings and accept non Cricket physical SIMs, including Mint, Tracfone, and Boost in some cases. The main catch is Cricket's lock and PAKS software, which can trigger an unauthorized SIM splash screen, grey out developer options, and block other carriers or Wi Fi use. Activation and pricing also vary by store, so the deal depends heavily on the location and setup path.

The phone can reportedly be used as a Wi‑Fi-only backup when a Cricket SIM is present and PAKS does not download and activate.
monkeybiz ape ape
The phone can reportedly show as unlocked and accept a Mint Mobile physical SIM after setup using a Cricket SIM workflow.
schetst schetst
The Cricket SIM setup process can reportedly be completed without using Wi‑Fi during initial activation.
schetst schetst
A workaround using Tracker Control reportedly enabled the phone to work with a different SIM after about a day.
monkiii

Cricket can reportedly use software locking that still restricts other-carrier SIM usage even when Network Lock status shows unlocked.
ThriftyMoon5572 SavingsDude40 dacrazyndn
Motorola PAKS can reportedly block Wi‑Fi-only usage and can prevent disabling or uninstalling the Telecoms Client and PAKS packages.
YAWWN SlickShoe966 SlickShoe966
The phone reportedly lacks USB-C video out support and also lacks DisplayPort Alt Mode for direct display output.
CamoKing88 pcgeekpcgeek
Using a non-Cricket active SIM can reportedly trigger a Cricket message and install process that removes Developer Options and USB debugging until firmware is reinstalled.
SLR

Common Questions (6)

It can work with some non-Cricket SIMs, including Mint and Tracfone in reported tests, but other active SIMs can trigger a Cricket lock overlay or block normal use. For Wi‑Fi-only use, some units stayed usable when kept off the network, while connecting to the internet could trigger Cricket lock software.
schetst monkeybiz dacrazyndn schetst
Some units boot with Network Lock showing "Unlocked" and can accept another carrier SIM, but others still trigger a Cricket unauthorized-SIM overlay or device-lock app. The practical result is YMMV: the settings screen may say unlocked while carrier restrictions still appear when a non-Cricket SIM is used.
schetst SLR dacrazyndn purpledime18
The reported Cricket unlock policy is 365 days of paid service, and another comment states the phone needs 12 continuous months of use before it unlocks. That means a quick activate-and-cancel approach is not enough for a normal unlock.
ahhhhnoooo SavingsDude40 ibanezY
A common setup path is to power it on with no SIM, reach the setup screen, insert the SIM, reboot, and finish setup without Wi‑Fi. That sequence was reported to leave the phone showing unlocked and working with a Mint SIM afterward.
schetst schetst
No. It does not support USB-C video out or DisplayPort Alt Mode, so wired display output requires a DisplayLink adapter instead.
CamoKing88 pcgeekpcgeek
No. This 2026 version does not include wireless charging, unlike some previous Moto G Power models.
Art-X2

AI-generated summary based on comments from the community. Updated 5d ago

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105 Comments

ValB

Sep 11, 2026 9:31 PM

683 Comments

Joined Nov 2012

ValBSep 11, 2026 9:31 PM

683 Comments

Quote from schetst

YMMV on this comment- I bought one last night and it came carrier unlocked.

Tested my luck today with getting a 2nd, and it was also carrier unlocked.

Only thing I did differently is I turned phone on without sim, waited to get to the get started screen, added sim into device, then rebooted and set up as normal without using WiFi. Not sure if it matters but hope you all can get lucky with unlocked versions too.

I wonder if you can do that trick with any Cricket phone ?

YAWWN

Sep 11, 2026 9:31 PM

168 Comments

Joined Aug 2012

YAWWNSep 11, 2026 9:31 PM

168 Comments

Quote from ThriftyMoon5572

According to my experience. The phone itself is unlocked, but Cricket is using software to lock it. You need some kinda of Cricket service to use it with other carriers, even like with an expired eSIM or SIM card.

Yes, it's called Motorola Paks. You can't even use it as a WiFi only device either, it blocks you from doing that. I believe all the 2025 and newer Cricket Moto's have it. And that's with it saying it's "unlocked" as well. What I want to know if the Walmart Cricket Moto's have a physical SIM separately so it doesn't install Paks (like the ESIM ones you get sent from Cricket's site or buy in store) maybe that's a way to get around it.

schetst

Original Poster

Pro

Sep 11, 2026 9:35 PM

798 Comments

Joined Dec 2014

schetst

Original Poster

Pro

Sep 11, 2026 9:35 PM

798 Comments

Quote from SavingsDude40

This deal is definitely YMMV, just went to my local store, and it was the same price as online. Also, not sure how to make this an unlocked phone, it seems locked to Cricket, at least for 365 days of paid service.

Nationwide promo for the free after $40 plan activation. Walmart employee won't be the one helping you, needs to be one of their third party phone sales people from OSL to set up account. Not all stills will have OSL agents. Phone won't get promo if you don't get through them and do in store activation.Also, the guy that helped me didn't even know he could do cricket, but he found it in his system and made it work without anything special the promo auto applied.

schetst

Original Poster

Pro

Sep 11, 2026 9:54 PM

798 Comments

Joined Dec 2014

schetst

Original Poster

Pro

Sep 11, 2026 9:54 PM

798 Comments

Quote from YAWWN

I see the Paks when I search, but it isn't a device admin under special app access

SavingsDude40

Sep 11, 2026 10:06 PM

887 Comments

Joined Apr 2014

SavingsDude40Sep 11, 2026 10:06 PM

887 Comments

Quote from schetst

My store barely has anybody in the electronics section, let alone third party phone company employees. Still, for anybody that can get this phone for $40, having to use Cricket or not, that's an amazing deal for a phone that seems to normally retail online unlocked for like $300.

ouloat

Pro

Sep 11, 2026 10:47 PM

1.3K Comments

Joined Oct 2005

ouloat

Pro

Sep 11, 2026 10:47 PM

1.3K Comments

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank

Quote from schetst

I see the Paks when I search, but it isn't a device admin under special app access

Shizuku and Canta can probably uninstall PAKS. If you don't care to use another app for the uninstall, try ADB PM UNINSTALL command.

XDA users could uninstall PAKS [xdaforums.com]

MercWithAMouth21

Sep 11, 2026 10:53 PM

174 Comments

Joined Feb 2016

MercWithAMouth21Sep 11, 2026 10:53 PM

174 Comments

Went to 2 stores, no luck with it in stock. Will try again tomorrow at a few more

Cozypanda007

Sep 11, 2026 10:55 PM

313 Comments

Joined Mar 2018

Cozypanda007Sep 11, 2026 10:55 PM

313 Comments

Quote from schetst

YMMV on this comment- I bought one last night and it came carrier unlocked.Tested my luck today with getting a 2nd, and it was also carrier unlocked. Only thing I did differently is I turned phone on without sim, waited to get to the get started screen, added sim into device, then rebooted and set up as normal without using WiFi. Not sure if it matters but hope you all can get lucky with unlocked versions too.

Have you tried a non-cricket sim or esim? Thanks

schetst

Original Poster

Pro

Sep 11, 2026 10:59 PM

798 Comments

Joined Dec 2014

schetst

Original Poster

Pro

Sep 11, 2026 10:59 PM

798 Comments

Quote from Cozypanda007

Have you tried a non-cricket sim or esim? Thanks

Mint mobile physical sim worked just fine, haven't tried esim, don't have one to put on this at the moment.

bobbylight

Sep 11, 2026 11:32 PM

1.9K Comments

Joined Mar 2009

bobbylightSep 11, 2026 11:32 PM

1.9K Comments

This might seem like a stupid question, and the answer is probably yes, but a relative has cricket service. If he just put his sim in this, it would work perfectly fine, right?

jimx200

Sep 12, 2026 12:08 AM

10.6K Comments

Joined Oct 2011

jimx200Sep 12, 2026 12:08 AM

10.6K Comments

Quote from MercWithAMouth21

How did you get $20 price by chance? I'm seeing $60 currently

ported in. Ahh, they raised the price from $19.99 to $59.99. Bought mine August 21.

JollyRain351

Sep 12, 2026 12:22 AM

10 Comments

Joined Sep 2026

JollyRain351Sep 12, 2026 12:22 AM

10 Comments

Quote from bobbylight

This might seem like a stupid question, and the answer is probably yes, but a relative has cricket service. If he just put his sim in this, it would work perfectly fine, right?

yes it would work

JollyRain351

Sep 12, 2026 12:22 AM

10 Comments

Joined Sep 2026

JollyRain351Sep 12, 2026 12:22 AM

10 Comments

my local store never has the guy that does prepaid service activation in!

JollyRain351

Sep 12, 2026 12:37 AM

10 Comments

Joined Sep 2026

JollyRain351Sep 12, 2026 12:37 AM

10 Comments

online has it free with $60 plan, with port-in number requirement.

will the phone be unlocked if i take out the sim card out before turn on?

CamoKing88

Sep 12, 2026 12:39 AM

121 Comments

Joined Oct 2013

CamoKing88Sep 12, 2026 12:39 AM

121 Comments

Quote from Lanmind

Does this thing support video out to a monitor through the USB C port?

It does not support USB-C video out unfortunately.

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Walmart in Store $40+Tax Cricket Wireless moto g power 2026 128GB, 8GB RAM (Prepaid), PANTONE Evening Blue

$40

$99

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